Ilya Andreev, a former Russian state news correspondent who quit to avoid pushing propaganda, is being held in a “punishment pit” after being sent to the front lines of the Ukraine war, according to his wife.
Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the Ukraine invasion on February 22, 2022, claiming to seek the “denazification” of the eastern European country’s government and hoping for a quick victory. Nearly two years later, Ukraine’s stronger-than-anticipated defense effort has blocked Russian advances, and both sides continue fighting for control of eastern Ukrainian territory.
The Russian military has faced myriad challenges amid the conflict, including troubles recruiting and maintaining well-trained, disciplined troops. Military analysts have noted that Putin’s troops lack motivation, and questions about the treatment of troops have been raised after a video emerged online appearing to show soldiers being thrown into a pit for refusing to fight.
Andreev is among the troops who have allegedly been sent to the “punishment pit,” his wife told Russian Telegram channel Astra.
Andreev is a former reporter for state-run media outlet Channel One, which has toed Putin’s line on the war. He quit this position to avoid pushing propaganda but was given a “black mark” from the organization, preventing him from finding another job, according to Astra’s report.
Facing financial difficulties due to lack of employment, Andreev joined the Russian military but was told he would not be stationed outside of capital city Moscow on September 1, according to the report.
He was “immediately” sent to the front lines of the Ukraine war, his wife said.
On November 8, he requested leave to change his name on his personal documents. The leave was approved by his military unit, but higher-up command rejected it and sent him “to the pit.” When he tried to escape, he was then tied to a tree.
His wife learned about the incident on November 17 and went to try to help him. But they were detained at the Rovenki military checkpoint in eastern Ukraine. From there, he was sent to the military commandment’s office, according to the report.
“Then the man was sent to an illegal basement in Zaitsevo. He hasn’t been in touch for two days now,” Astra reported. Independent Russian media outlet Meduza described the basement as a “punishment pit.”
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The Russian military is allegedly holding at least 17 other soldiers in the basement, Astra reported, describing it as an “illegal place to hold Russian ‘refuseniks’ and ‘offending’ military personnel.” In 2022, roughly 300 soldiers were placed in the pit and were allegedly “not fed,” “threatened” “not allowed to leave to the toilet” and “called pigs.”
Newsweek reached out to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for comment via email.
WarTranslated, an independent media project that translates materials about the Russia-Ukraine war into English, previously reported a video showing soldiers being forced into the pit after their clothes were taken away after refusing to fight. They were allegedly told they would need to pay 400,000 rubles (roughly $4,483) to leave and spent four days there.
The report comes as the Russian military reportedly faces more resistance from its soldiers.
In October, Astra reported that a growing number of Russian troops were rejecting orders from their leaders, raising questions of a potential mutiny.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.